


Strings

by noussommeslessquelettes



Series: Throwback Playlist - A High School Klance AU [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (foster technically), (nothing explicitly biphobic just a fear of it and some internalisation), Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Biphobia, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Coming Out, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Laith, Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, M/M, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 11:39:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12011949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noussommeslessquelettes/pseuds/noussommeslessquelettes
Summary: “Hey, Keith? Can I ask you a question?”Keith let go of his breath, the words he was about to speak falling silent with it. “That’s what I’m here for, right?”Lance half-turned in his chair, but his eyes stayed glued to his desk. “Would you be upset if you found out the guy you were dating was bi?”(High school AU) Lance shares his secrets with Keith, and Keith hides his from Lance.





	Strings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! Due to unprecedented demand, this high school AU is back! (If you haven’t read the first part of this AU I’d suggest you read it first, partly because it’ll put the story in a little better relief, but mostly because Keith and Lance “practice” smooching lol). This is the second of what I’m planning to be a six-part series, and I hope y’all will stick around the delicious slowburn for the payoff!
> 
> Also, I’ve decided that to have a unifying theme among these fics, each one of them is going to be named after a song I loved back when I was in high school. The first part was named after the 3OH!3 song “My First Kiss” (for obvious reasons), and this one’s named after Shawn Mendes’s “Strings” (please don’t judge me for my music taste I just really like Shawn Mendes OTL)
> 
> Warning for reference to biphobia, and some internalised biphobia, but I stayed away from anything that could be really triggering because that’s not the kind of story I want to tell. Regardless, I have the tiny portion it really shows up in tagged before and after (and it really doesn’t impact the story a whole lot in the event you do have to skip it, btw.)
> 
> Happy reading!

Keith always figured that the polite thing to do when someone knocked on your door was answer it. Lance’s preferred reaction, however, was to shout at his mother.

Keith stood on the front steps of the McClain household, rubbing absentmindedly at his forearms as the unseasonable chill of the May evening settled deep in his bones. On the other side of the door, he listened to the muffled shouts of Lance and Mrs. McClain as they debated—if Keith’s past visits were anything to go by—who would answer the door.

The shouts abruptly ceased, and not a moment later Lance’s mother swung the door open, a tired smile plastered over her features. “Hi sweetheart, how are you?”

Keith returned the smile. “I’m good, thanks.” She stepped aside to allow him in, and Keith obliged, anxious to get out of the cold.

She shut the door behind him, turning back to shout up the stairs. “Lance, Keith’s here!” Keith practically jumped out of his skin before catching himself—Lance’s mother had a voice louder than the horn of a transport truck, and Keith thought he’d never get used to hearing that kind of volume come from someone who barely came up to his shoulder in height.

“I’m in my room, he can come upstairs!” The reply echoed down from Lance’s room.

She frowned. “ _¡_ _Vamos abajo, dice hola!_ ”

“ _¡_ _Soy_ busy, _él puede hacerlo solo!_ ”

Keith kicked his shoes off, bowing his head meekly at her. “It’s no trouble, I can just—”

Mrs. McClain silenced him with an upheld hand, glare still focused on a particular spot on the staircase. “Lance, honest to God, if you don’t come downstairs right now—”

“ _Ay espere_ mami, _please_!” Lance shouted, his exasperation matching his mother’s. “Gimme just a minute!”

Her shoulders drooped, and she looked back at Keith sympathetically. “I’m so sorry for him. I promise I didn’t raise him to be so rude.”

Keith chuckled. “It’s okay, you get used to it after a while.”

“I don’t know how on earth that boy got a girlfriend,” she commented, eyes a bit distant as she shook her head disapprovingly. Keith shrugged in lieu of claiming his responsibility for that, averting his gaze to the floor. She gave a resigned sigh before picking back up. “And how’s the school search going?”

Keith looked back to her, smiling politely in spite of his reflex to wince. “It’s, uh… it’s going. Lots of schools I have to consider, you know how it is,” he answered vaguely.

She nodded. “I’m sure a smart boy like you has all the colleges begging at his feet! It’ll be a tough decision for you to find the right fit.” Keith had the decency to rub his neck bashfully, hoping she would leave it at that. 

The truth was Keith had already decided on his school, having been offered a full-ride scholarship from a decent college by virtue of his SAT scores. The bad news was that this particular school was all the way on the east coast, on the other side of the country from his foster family in Oregon. And come October, Keith would outgrow the system, as well as his home here with the Shiroganes.

So far, only Pidge and Shiro knew about his decision. Hunk and Lance, he’d decided, would be the last he’d tell. Hunk because the only thing bigger than his appetite and heart was his mouth, and Lance? Well, Keith reasoned that he’d been busy with his studies, and his new girlfriend, and… maybe Keith wasn’t entirely ready for the heartache he’d feel seeing Lance’s crushed puppy-dog look when he found out that Keith was gone for good after the summer. It was hard enough on Keith’s heart dealing with every-day Lance, let alone sad Lance. Maybe that was a bit selfish, but Keith never claimed to be anything else.

Thankfully she wouldn’t get the chance to pry further, as Lance rounded the railing on the stairs, descending a couple of steps before leaning over to pop his head down. “Hey Keith!” He waved. “I’ve already started on the homework, you can come up.”

“ _¡_ _Que grosero eres!_ ” Exclaimed a croaky voice from behind Keith. He turned to see Lance’s grandmother hobble in from the kitchen, balancing a hefty pot against her hip as she stirred its contents. “ _T_ _ú_ _peleas con tu madre,_ _¿_ _y no puedes bajar las escaleras para saludar a su invitado_?” She passed the pot to Mrs. McClain, who accepted it with a grunt, before reaching up and patting a firm hand against Keith’s cheek. “ _¿_ _Como est_ _á_ _s_ , Keith?”

Keith smiled at her, silently praying she wouldn’t pinch his cheek like last time. “ _Bien, abuelita,_ _¿_ _y tu_?” Keith did his best not to stumble over the words. His grasp of Spanish was tenuous at best, given that he’d dropped the class in school as a sophomore, but he’d picked up a couple phrases in his visits to the McClains’.

“ _Usted,_ ” Lance corrected over his shoulder. Okay, Keith wasn’t pretending his Spanish was _flawless_. “ _Y él no es invitado, abuelita, es familia_.” It was good enough to understand that last bit though, and the thought of Lance calling him family set off flutters in his stomach at the unfamiliarity.

“Speaking of,” Mrs. McClain stepped away to set the pot down on the dining table, abuelita retreating to the kitchen as well, “will you be staying for dinner tonight, Keith?”

“Yes!” Lance answered before Keith could. “Can he come up now?” Lance whined, his form drooping farther over the railing.

Keith sighed, pulling out his phone to let his foster parents know he’d miss dinner that night. “I should probably go,” he told Mrs. McClain, starting up the steps. 

“Dinner’s in an hour, boys!” Mrs. McClain called up, Lance giving no indication that he heard her as he straightened and turned back to his room. Keith followed him, finally getting a proper view of him in grey sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Suddenly, Keith felt seriously overdressed for the occasion, having laboured over his wardrobe for half an hour to decide on the perfect muscle shirt/ripped jeans combo when Lance looked like he’d just rolled out of bed.

And somehow managed to make that look good. Goddamn, this crush seriously wasn’t fair.

“So I’ve started on the homework,” Lance spoke up, opening the door up to his bedroom, “but I’m still only getting the right escape velocity half the time.”

Right. Keith wasn’t here to ogle, he was here to do homework. Lance held the door open, waiting for Keith to pass him on the way in. As Keith stepped in, he took in the sight of Lance’s bedroom: walls covered in family photos and child’s drawings addressed to ‘Tio Lance’, and floor covered in clothing, books, and what was likely eighty percent of Lance’s personal possessions. Lance had already spread his physics worksheets across his desk, so Keith took his place on Lance’s unmade bed, shouldering off his backpack and unzipping it to retrieve his own books.

Lance shut the door with a relieved sigh. “God, it’s nice to have this closed for once. My parents make me keep it open when Plaxum visits; it’s like I practically don’t have a door anymore.” He crossed the room in a few strides before dropping heavily into his desk chair.

Keith pulled his jacket off and tossed it to the floor, lying on his stomach in front of his books to face Lance a bit better. “They know you too well,” he mused with a light smirk as he flipped to the page he needed.

“Excuse me?” Lance straightened with mock-offence. “I’m a gentleman! I’d never do anything of the sort… with my parents home,” he tacked on mischievously, fighting a smirk.

Keith scrunched his nose up. “Don’t be nasty.” 

Lance shrugged. “You’ll understand when someone finally tames that wild emo heart of yours. Your man is out there, Keith.”

 _Or maybe he’s in here,_ Keith didn’t dare say. “So things are going well between the two of you, then?” He asked instead, as if he didn’t know already. Lance and Plaxum had become practically inseparable since they’d started dating a month ago, and word had travelled quickly around the school of how perfectly matched they were.

Lance smiled fondly, the way he always did when he talked about his girlfriend. “Yeah. I mean, I hope we’re not moving too fast, you know? I think we work really well together, and I feel just… happy when I’m around her. I’m comfortable, but I don’t want to mess it up and say the wrong thing.” He turned around to rifle through his homework, permitting Keith to let his face fall a little bit. Was Keith happy for Lance? Of course, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t wallow in a little self-pity.

“I get it,” Keith said, looking down to direct his frown at the equations that sat before him. He could doubtlessly empathise with that fear of getting too comfortable, of tipping the delicate balance of what someone could mean to you.

They sank into a comfortable silence after that, pencils scratching and calculator buttons clicking being the only indication that anything was happening. When Keith got to his seventh question, he noticed that Lance had started tapping the end of his pencil to his paper, the way he did in the middle of tests when he was having trouble with a question. Keith ground his teeth at the distracting noise, opening his mouth to tell Lance to knock it off, but he was cut off when Lance spoke up instead.

“Hey, Keith?” The tapping paused. “Can I ask you a question?”

Keith let go of his breath, the words he was about to speak falling silent with it. “That’s what I’m here for, right?”

Lance half-turned in his chair, but his eyes stayed glued to his desk. The tapping started for another moment, more aggressive than ever, before he slapped the pencil down flat on his notebook, silencing it. “Would you be upset if you found out the guy you were dating was bi?”

Keith… didn’t really know what to say to that. In the wake of his silence, Lance finally turned to look at him, his brow furrowed in earnest, but his eyes pleading.

“I, uh… didn’t mean that kind of question,” he answered dumbly. Hurt flashed quickly across Lance’s face, and he looked down to his lap to cover it. “Shit, Lance that’s not what I mean,” Keith quickly amended, pushing up to kneel on the bed, sitting back on his heels. “I just—is this a hypothetical question?”

Lance gave him a withering look. “I’m asking for a friend.”

 _Ah_. Keith’s expression turned sour, a touch of betrayal twisting in his gut. “You know, it’s not your business to out your girlfriend to me.”

“What?” Surprise pulled at Lance’s features. “Keith, that’s not—you _know_ I wouldn’t do that, come on, Keith.”

Keith furrowed his brow. “So you’re saying—”

“I’m _saying_ ,” Lance interrupted, his frustration clearly mounting, “if you found out your _boyfriend_ was bi, would you be upset?”

Keith sighed, doing his best to diffuse the tension that was settling in his shoulders. _Deep breaths, Keith_. “Personally? No. I wouldn’t really care. But I think it’s a bit different for me, I mean I don’t really have much choice, do I? There aren’t many guys who are available for me.”

Judging by the pained look on Lance’s face, it wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Keith shook his head, closing his books and pushing them off to the side, sitting on the edge of the bed to face Lance better.

“But I’m guessing you’re not asking for me,” he continued, hoping the words didn’t sound as bitter as they’d tasted on his tongue.

Lance sighed, his whole body deflating at once. “I haven’t told her yet,” he muttered.

And again, Keith had no answer for that. The very thought of Lance being anything less than aggressively heterosexual had never even crossed his mind, what the hell was he supposed to say to that? “How long have you known?” He tried.

 _—_ tw biphobia _—_

It must’ve been good enough, since Lance bit at his lip, contemplating his response. “I mean… I don’t really know how to answer that. How long have I identified as bi? Like, a month. I’ve always liked guys—like, been _attracted_ to guys—but growing up, I was told you were either straight or gay, it always seemed like…” He folded his arms across his chest, and Keith noted the subtle way his nails scraped against his right forearm. “Like being bi wasn’t real, like it was a joke, so I never really knew _what_ I was. I used to think that I was gay some days, and straight others,” he gave a sad laugh, “I know it sounds stupid—”

“It’s not,” Keith interrupted. Lance looked up at him, astonished, before a grateful smile made its way across his features.

“Anyway, I haven’t found the right way to tell her yet. I just don’t want her thinking I’ve been… looking at other people, you know? I haven’t, by the way. I would never cheat on her.” His smile had faded into an unsure frown, his voice growing uncharacteristically soft. “I just want her to know who I am. This is a part of me too, and I hate feeling like I’m hiding a part of me from the people I love.”

 _—_ tw biphobia ends _—_

He gave Lance a sympathetic frown. “Have you told anyone else?”

Lance nodded. “Just Hunk and Pidge, though.” Keith tried not to let his hurt show at being the last in their friend group to know. After all, Hunk and Pidge had been Lance’s best friends for years; by comparison, Keith barely knew Lance.

“You haven’t told your mom and dad?” Keith asked instead.

Lance’s jaw tightened, shaking his head. “They wouldn’t be happy if I told them,” he said gravely.

Keith shrugged. “I don’t know about that, they seem to like me fine.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “They don’t know you’re gay, though,” he replied, Keith sensing a touch of spite in his tone.

Keith furrowed his brow. “It’s not like I hide it,” he defended. 

“Yeah, but it’s not like you display it either.”

Keith bristled. “The hell do you want me to do, paint my face rainbow and march a parade through your living room?” 

“No, _god—_ ” Lance slapped a hand to his forehead. “This is stupid. I’m not mad at you, Keith. I’m sorry. This is just frustrating to me, it’s all new. I don’t know how to do this.” He looked up at Keith again with pleading eyes, and even Keith could pick up on the unasked question.

He sighed, letting his anger ebb away. “I think it’s different for you and me. I’ve never stuck around anyone for very long, so coming out’s never been that big a deal for me. No one’s cared enough to make a fuss about it.”

Lance gave him a sad look. “Keith, you know that’s not true.”

Keith waved his pity off. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, but you shouldn’t think that anyway. We’re your family, and it does matter to us— _you_ matter to us.”

Keith didn’t want to let himself believe that, despite the warmth that bubbled in his chest. “Thanks.” He smiled, rounding back to their original topic. “And for what it’s worth, I think Plaxum is going to be fine with it.”

Lance gave a small, hopeful smile. “Yeah?” 

Keith shrugged. “If she’s not, then I guess it wasn’t meant to be between you guys anyway. But I feel like it’s going to work out.”

Lance shot him a blinding grin. “Thanks, Keith.” He laughed, turning back to his homework. “Honestly, you’re so much better at this relationship shit than me, I have no idea how you’re the one that’s still single.” 

Keith figured it probably had to do with the fact that he was hopelessly pining after his best friend—who was already dating someone else—but he didn’t mention it. “Can we focus on physics now? I _need_ to pass this next test, or I’m screwed.”

Lance groaned. “You and me both, buddy. Okay, so I’m seriously stumped on 6a. What did you get?” Keith grabbed his notebook and walked over to look at Lance’s answer over his shoulder.

* * *

“You really don’t need to walk me home,” Keith said, hunching his shoulders as a cool breeze hit his bare arms. “I only live, like, a street away.” 

Lance shrugged, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. “It buys me enough time to get out of dish duty. ‘Sides, what if you get jumped?”

Keith rolled his eyes. He’s lived in neighbourhoods where that was a concern, and this certainly wasn’t one of them. “I’m pretty sure I could handle that myself.”

“Oh no, I _know_ you could,” Lance laughed, “I just don’t want to wake up to your face on the news as a suspected killer.”

Keith pursed his lips. “Okay, but in this scenario they’re the ones attacking me, so whatever I do is in self-defense.”

Lance shook his head. “Keith, it’s just a joke.” 

“Oh.” Keith bowed his head to hide the embarrassed flush of his cheeks. 

Lance chuckled, turning to smile at Keith. “It’s fine, you don’t—” he stopped, his expression falling. “You forgot your jacket.”

Keith looked down at himself—which was kind of dumb in retrospect, since he could already feel the skin of his arms prickling as indication that they were bare—to discover belatedly that he had. “Oh,” he repeated, “Shit, yeah.” He crossed his arms and rubbed his gloved hands up and down, trying to generate some heat.

Lance clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Honestly man? You remember to put on your douchey emo fingerless gloves…” he trailed off as he struggled to pull an arm out of his own coat.

Keith furrowed his brow as he realised what Lance was doing. “Dude, don’t sweat it—”

“Too late!” Lance cut him off as he finally freed the arm, letting it slide off his shoulders easily. He draped it over one arm and used the other hand to tug on Keith’s backpack. Reluctantly, Keith uncrossed his arms to let him take the bag, and its place on his shoulders was soon replaced by the warmth of Lance’s jacket. “Can’t have you freeze before you get home,” he continued, slinging the bag over his one shoulder.

Keith wanted to argue further, but the residual heat in the coat was already starting to warm him up. “Thanks,” he muttered as he pulled his arms into the sleeves. He looked down at his hands, where the cuffs of the coat settled a bit farther than the tips of his fingers. _Sweater paws_ , he thought idly.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Lance’s lanky frame stiffen, crossing his arms over his chest in much the same way Keith had just done. “Jeez, it’s cold as hell! Why didn’t you remember your jacket?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Just take it back then; I’ll be fine.”

Lance shook his head, stubborn as an ass despite his complaints. “No chance, this is payback for you helping me with my homework, so now I don’t owe you one.” He pursed his lips in thought. “Actually, no. I think I might still owe you for probably saving my relationship tonight. God dammit, Keith,” he whined, exasperated.

Keith scoffed. “Saved it _again_ , you mean.”

Lance unwound a hand to point a harsh finger at Keith. “Okay, but I already treated you to fro-yo for teaching me how to kiss, so we’re squared away on that.” 

Keith smirked, tilting his head in mock-thought. “But is fro-yo _really_ a fair trade for having to kiss Lance McClain? Hmm…”

Lance bumped their shoulders together, a half-assed attempt to shove Keith off the sidewalk. “Hey, that was hardly torture, you said I was good at it!” 

“I said you were good _for a beginner_ ,” Keith corrected, holding a sweater-pawed hand aloft. “Which, by the way, is not a distinction you made when you told everyone that we kissed.”

Lance gave a scandalised gasp. “I did _not_ tell everyone, just Hunk!”

Keith stuffed his hands in the deep pockets of the coat. “And he can’t keep a secret to save his life, so it’s basically the same thing.”

“To be fair, he only told Pidge,” Lance reasoned.

“Who told Matt,” Keith continued for him, “who then told Shiro, who had a painfully awkward conversation with me about it after the fact.” Keith cringed at the memory. “So yeah, thanks for that.” 

Lance cackled. “What did he even want to say about that?”

Keith shrugged. “Partly ‘I’m cool with you wanting to kiss guys,’ partly ‘but it’s something you want to share with only the special people in your life,’ then I think he wanted to make it like a weird brotherly bonding moment. He kept asking me questions, like, how it was and shit.”

“And what did you tell him?”

Keith fought to keep a straight face. “That it was like making out with an octopus.”

Lance snorted. “Jeez, Keith, I had no idea you were into hentai.”

Keith gasped in offence, giving Lance a two-handed shove that sent him stumbling onto someone’s front lawn. He caught himself with two hands on a tree trunk, cackling all the while.

“Asshole,” Keith spat as Lance righted himself, coming back to sidle up shoulder-to-shoulder with Keith.

“To be fair, you walked right into that one. I literally could not help myself.” Lance’s arm rubbed against Keith’s as they walked, and Keith tried his best to ignore the sparks of electricity he felt despite the thick coat between them.

“You have zero filter,” he deadpanned.

“I’m a package deal, and that package didn’t come with one of those.” Lance shoved his hands into his pockets, looking up to the sky as he exhaled, watching his breath dissipate into the night air. “Hey,” Lance spoke, his voice suddenly growing soft. “I’m sorry you’re, like, constantly rescuing me from an existential crisis, by the way.” Lance gave a little self-deprecating laugh, the kind that you wouldn’t notice until you knew what to look for. The kind that felt like a knife twisting in Keith’s chest now that he knew what it meant.

Keith bowed his head, picking nervously at the fraying cuffs of Lance’s coat. “Lance, it’s fine.” He looked up at Lance shyly through his bangs. “It’s what friends do… right?” He tacked on uncertainly.

Lance smiled gently, nodding. “And hey, I know you’re like… secretive and everything, ‘cause it’s part of your shtick—”

“It’s not a shtick,” Keith interrupted. “It’s just who I am.”

Lance breathed out a short chuckle. “Okay, then because it’s part of your package, too. But I…” he sighed, the rest of the sentence falling flat. Keith watched as he bit his lip, eyes searching the empty street they walked for the right words to say. “I know you’ve been through a lot of shit, and that there’s probably a lot that you don’t want to remember—I mean, everyone’s got stuff that’s too hard to talk about for one reason or another—but like… if you need someone to talk about those things to, I want you to feel like you can tell me.”

Keith thought about this, about how he’d promised himself he’d tell Lance he was leaving at the end of the summer. “Right…”

“You’re a really good listener, Keith, but sometimes listeners need to be heard too, y’know?” Lance quickly turned away on his heel, starting up a driveway that Keith only realised a second later was his own. Keith deflated a bit as he realised this was goodbye—one goodbye closer to the last one he’d ever say.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you Lance,” Keith started as he followed Lance up to his own front porch. “I’m just not used to having people there to listen.”

Lance turned around as he reached the welcome mat, smiling warmly and looking like the picture of patience as he shrugged. “That’s okay, you have time to learn.”

 _If only you knew how wrong you are_. “I guess you’re right about that,” he lied, stepping up to meet him. 

“Even if that secret is that you really are into hentai.”

 _Aaaaand moment ruined_. “Ugh,” Keith groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Lance lifted both hands innocently. “I’m not going to lie, it’d be weird, but we’d find a way past it.”

Keith shook his head and reached for the doorknob, jiggling it to find it locked. “For the record, I’m not,” he insisted, rapping a fist against the door.

Lance stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged, as though he weren’t convinced one way or the other. “We’ll see,” he replied vaguely.

The front door opened, revealing Shiro behind it. “Hey Lance, good to see you.” He smiled warmly.

Lance’s face broke out into a grin at the sight of their high school’s former star quarterback, and his personal hero. “Hey Shiro! Keith didn’t tell me you were in town this weekend.”

Shiro glanced back at Keith momentarily, then did a double-take once he noticed Keith’s—rather, _Lance’s_ — coat. He ran his eyes down Keith and back up, giving him a pointed (and, if Keith’s mind wasn’t playing tricks on him, slightly amused) look. Keith kept his expression stony, a silent warning hanging in the air that said _don’t. say. anything._  

Shiro mercifully turned back to answer Lance. “Actually I’m headed out right now, but do you want a ride home?” 

If it were even possible, Lance’s expression seemed to brighten further. “Yeah, thanks so much!”

Shiro held up his car remote, unlocking it. “You can go wait for me in the car, I just have to grab my bag.”

“Alright.” Lance nodded, turning to Keith and suddenly pulling him into a tight hug. “See you in physics tomorrow, Keith.”

Keith felt a bit stunned for a moment, catching himself—and his breath—quickly, before wrapping his arms around Lance’s shoulders. “Yeah, see you.”

After a few seconds that went far too quickly for Keith, Lance pulled away to arms-length, hands reaching up to the lapels of Keith’s—er, _his_ —jacket, and giving a gentle tug. “You can give this back tomorrow, by the way.” 

Keith quirked an eyebrow as Lance’s hands slipped away. “I can just give it back to you now.”

Lance shrugged noncommittally, sloughing off Keith’s backpack and leaving it at their feet before turning to go back down the front steps. “I’ll be in the car,” he called back as he lightly jogged towards the passenger’s side of Shiro’s black sedan.

Shiro gave a good-natured laugh as Keith huffed, the both of them watching him go. “He’s got the grossest crush on you, Shiro,” Keith muttered.

Shiro shot Keith a pointed look before retreating back to the living room for his overnight bag. “I don’t think _his_ crush is the grossest one right now.” 

Keith held out both of his hands to Shiro, leaning against the doorframe. “I’m not even doing anything!”

“You’re wearing his jacket,” Shiro pointed out, slinging the bag over his shoulder. 

Keith scowled. “That was his doing, I can assure you.”

“How romantic,” he teased.

Keith groaned. “I already told you that it’s not like that.”

Shiro came back, searching the closet briefly for his windbreaker. “I’m just saying that I, personally, wouldn’t offer my own jacket to ‘just a friend.’” He set the bag down to slide his coat on, then took it back in hand. 

Keith blew his bangs out of his eyes. “I’m sure his _girlfriend_ would be happy to hear that.”

Shiro sighed, a resigned smile overtaking his features. “You can’t let me have my fun, can you?”

“Not when that fun involves torturing me.”

Shiro merely laughed. “That’s my job though, as your brother.”

 _Foster brother_ , Keith didn’t correct, a bittersweet reminder that no matter what his foster family and his new friends pretended—no matter what Lance tried to tell him—his importance here was just as temporary as it had been everywhere else. “Whatever.”

Shiro collected him in a warm hug, chuckling softly. “Chin up, big guy. High school relationships don’t last forever.”

Keith sighed, returning the embrace. “What about high school crushes?” He asked, voice muffled against the soft fabric of Shiro’s shirt.

Shiro clicked his tongue. “Afraid you’re out of luck there.”

“Shit,” Keith muttered.

Shiro pulled back, his smile warm as ever. “I’ll be back on Thursday, just so you know. Text me, okay?” Keith nodded, stuffing his hands in the deep pockets of his— _Lance’s!_ —jacket. “And Keith?”

“Hm?”

Shiro glanced at the car momentarily, Keith following his gaze to land on Lance, who was currently too distracted by something on his phone to notice Keith’s gawking. “Don’t smell the coat until we’re gone.”

Keith didn’t know whether to be indignant or mortified, but his face settled somewhere between the two as he snapped back to face Shiro. “That’s—I wasn’t _going to_ —” he sputtered, the burn of his cheeks probably giving away his dishonesty immediately.

Shiro just smiled sweetly, spinning on his heel and waving goodbye over his shoulder. Keith clamped his mouth shut and slumped against the door, waiting until they pulled away and he waved his final goodbye to an animated Lance—who from the looks of it was already chatting Shiro’s ear off—before dragging his bag inside and shutting the door behind himself.

He gave a quick glance around the empty main floor before grabbing two handfuls of the collar, burying his nose in the cloth. After a brief moment of asking himself ‘ _seriously, are you this shameless?’_ he decided he was, inhaling deeply and immediately catching Lance’s scent (which, he reasoned, was probably ninety percent his mom’s choice of detergent and ten percent B.O. and shouldn’t have been _that_ irresistible to Keith, but here he was) and humming his approval.

“Yeah,” He sighed, the tension in his body falling with it as he leaned back against the door. “I’m shit out of luck.”

**Author's Note:**

> Me, sobbing on the floor: b lease just let them get together and be h a p p y  
> Also me, sitting in a swivel chair and sipping gingerale out of a champagne flute: your concern has been……… Noted™.
> 
> Also to me Lance totally seems petty enough to correct Keith on an iffy T-V distinction lmao. Sidenote tho fuc the T-V distinction it’s like way too complicated for my tiny brain (also from what I’ve seen Spanish is like wayy more complicated than what I’m used to for French, how do y’all deal with more than two second-person pronouns???)
> 
> And you’ve heard of Me Projecting My Unresolved High School Crushes on Keith, now get ready for Me Projecting My Insecurities Surrounding Sexuality on Lance! A solid chunk of the motivation behind writing this part was just me giving Lance a more positive coming out experience than what grade 12 me (and first-year me, and… second-year… uh…) got when I came out as ace. 
> 
> Again I love to draw on real-world experience to inform my writing, which is why I wanted to include Lance being bilingual too. By the way, I apologise if the Spanish isn’t perfect, since Spanish isn’t the language I speak at home with my family (I wrote all the Spanish in my language and then tried to translate it using a bit of my French expertise and online translation >.>;;; I just really hope it didn’t totally throw you out of the story if I did make an error)
> 
> But y’all aren’t here to read the author’s notes are you? You’re here for that Good Good Klance Slowburn. If you liked this fic then please subscribe to the series, because the next installment is prom! I’ve got so much more angst planned for this series and an ending that’s so sweet it’ll rot ur damb teeth bud!!! I’m excited to take this story further, and I hope you’ll come along with me for the ride!
> 
> If you enjoyed, please kudo, comment, and/or [reblog on Tumblr!](http://noussommeslessquelettes.tumblr.com/post/165029729391/strings-noussommeslessquelettes-voltron) Thanks so much for reading!


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